


Teenagers. Ugh.

by IanPeriwinkle



Series: Damian and Iris' Ridiculous Love Life [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Damian is so anxious about this, F/M, Family Dinner, M/M, Sibling Rivalry, Superhero antics, Teenage!Damian, relationship drama, teenage!irey, teenagers suck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 18:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12538684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IanPeriwinkle/pseuds/IanPeriwinkle
Summary: Damian and Irey have settled into something of a comfortable relationship, but as they grow relationships with their families are strained, and they are put to the test.





	Teenagers. Ugh.

**Author's Note:**

> "And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one, 'cause most of us are bitter over someone." - 'Youth', Daughter

Damian had always tended to excel at things. He saw no reason to be modest about it - he was a very talented person and most people acknowledged that. 

So why was it then, he thought angrily to himself, staring down at his phone displaying the  _call rejected_  screen, that he was so damn terrible at being a boyfriend? 

He sighed bitterly, and redialled his girlfriend's number for the fifth time that day. Though his social skills had improved significantly since his rough introduction to society some nearly-seven years ago (mostly with the help of Dick Grayson), and he'd known his girlfriend since they were both children (and as such had plenty of experience in dealing with her particular personality), he still had a lot of issues with social interactions, and couldn't help but feel that he was letting her down in some way or another. 

For the fifth time, his call was rejected, so he couldn't even leave her a voicemail. He ended up sighing again, sending her a text that he hoped conveyed his affection for her, and leaning back in his desk chair. This exchange had distracted him from his French schoolwork, which he was slowly making his way through (otherwise he'd finish it all before the school year was up, and he didn't fancy having time with nothing to fill it). He hated when he and Iris fought. He didn't even know what this one was about, and it was stressing him out to an extent that he didn't think he could concentrate on his schoolwork. 

He pondered it for a few minutes, then decided he wasn't going to be able to finish his work today, and his girlfriend was more important anyway. He slammed the book shut, sent her another text, signed off with a green heart emoji, and went downstairs to one of his cars. 

* * *

 

That afternoon found Damian making the lengthy drive from Gotham to Keystone in record time. His radio was playing some playlist Dick had sent him that he was barely concentrating on, and his eyes were focused purely on the road. Usually he would have someone on speaker phone to keep him entertained; typically his girlfriend, but sometimes Jai would converse with him (if he was feeling up to it, which now days wasn't too often), and Grayson would frequently call him when he was on the way (but only because he just tended to call frequently in general). 

This time, though he could have used the company, he figured music was a better alternative to the lecture about hurting his friends' children he would inevitably receive from Grayson. 

After a few hours of driving, he pulled up outside of the Wests' current abode, and switched off his radio to meditate for a moment. The light was on in Iris' window, so that was a good sign, but he was rather anxious to find out exactly what had upset her so much. He was also rather anxious she may dump him, but he tried to put that thought far aside. 

He soon calmed his nerves and knocked on the front door. He'd visited the Wests countless times since he began dating Iris, and even more since he was a child, yet every time the West house gave off such an intimate vibe that he felt as if he were intruding. 

Thankfully, it was Linda Park-West who answered the door. Wally still resented Damian's behaviour from when he was younger, and the fact that he was now dating his daughter made their relationship even more strained. Missions with anyone in the Flash family who wasn't Iris had become awkward and stressful. 

Damian exchanged pleasantries with Linda at the door before asking after Iris' wellbeing and location, glad for the social training that Grayson had given him that taught him how to be polite. 

"Irey's up in her room," Linda smiled at him warmly. It was a little strained, but she had made an effort to connect with him, "and I think she could use the company. Seems like she's had a hard day," 

Damian thanked her, and moved towards the stairs.

"I'll bring you two up some snacks!" Linda called out as she headed to the kitchen. 

Damian couldn't help a snort escaping once she was out of earshot. For whatever reason, both Linda and Wally were convinced that Damian and Iris were sleeping together already - in fact, it wasn't only the two of them. Damian frequently found new boxes of condoms in his bedroom and bathroom (probably put there by Grayson), and had received "the talk" from multiple people. 

In actuality, both Damian and Iris had agreed even before they started dating that neither of them felt they would be ready for sex for some years. They were both so busy with their superhero work, their schooling, and maintaining their public and secret identities, that sex just felt as if it would be an additional pressure on top of everything else. 

When he knocked on Iris' door (avoiding the sign he got her for her eighth birthday which she still had up that read 'Irey's Room') there were a range of emotions he expected to see from her. Rage and irritation were at the top of that list, along with annoyance, upset, and stress. What he didn't expect was to have the door opened with a scream, which changed abruptly upon seeing him to sobs. 

"Iris, are you -" he was cut off by his girlfriend throwing herself into his arms. 

He tensed for only a moment at the contact this time - it had taken a long time for him to get comfortable with even small touches, but now he was mostly okay with them. After a moment, he allowed his arms to wrap around her and rubbed her back lightly, before guiding them into her room and closing the door. 

"Iris," he asked more gently, murmuring into her ear, "what's wrong?" 

Though he'd been taught to ask "are you okay?" Damian found it quite redundant to ask that when the person clearly wasn't. 

She shook her head into his shoulder, but otherwise didn't reply to him, choosing rather to keep clinging to him. Damian figured he wouldn't get a response anytime soon, and so gently manoeuvred them to be sitting on her bed. Judging by the tissues spilling out of her wastebasket, and the few boxes she had scattered around, Damian guessed she'd been crying all day almost. 

He took a tissue and brought her face around to look at him before gently wiping off some tears. Linda chose to come in at that moment, and quietly set down some cookies and tea on Iris' desk before leaving. Iris didn't look at her. 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, as soon as her mother was out of the room.

"For?" Damian threw the tissue away and offered her a small smile - one that he saved for moment when he was alone with her.

It looked as if she were struggling to think for a moment, before she continued "for not answering your calls. And for worrying you. You drove here. You should be doing your school work," 

Damian resisted the want to roll his eyes. "You're much more important than French tenses," he assured her, "and besides which, I wanted to see you anyway. It's been a while since we had a proper date," their last few had all been missions, and he was starting to miss seeing her outside of costume. And the media were getting pressing as well - they were public about their relationship as Damian Wayne and Iris West (though not as Kid Flash and Robin), and rumours were starting to spread about the couple having broken up. 

"Oh," her mouth formed a small pink circle, and she looked up at him with some shock.

He amusedly stroked her cheek before pulling her in for a tender kiss. "I missed you," he murmured again into it, and he felt her hum lightly in response. 

The teenagers eventually fell into a restful sleep together, still cuddled on the top of Iris' sheets, noses touching, bodies fully clothed. The tea and cookies weren't touched. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a one-shot about Damian coping with Irey and Jai fighting.
> 
> I've decided it would be easier to do a few chapters around their lives as teenagers. 
> 
> This was written on my iPad on a train trip from New York to Boston. Please don't judge any spelling mistakes on my part - it's the iPad's fault.


End file.
